The USAID Rule of Law Program in Georgia is a five-year, $25 million activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the East-West Management Institute, Inc. (EWMI). The Program aims to strengthen the rule of law in Georgia by building the independence and effectiveness of justice sector institutions, enhancing access to justice for all segments of society, and increasing citizen and institutional oversight of justice sector institutions. 

The USAID Rule of Law Program is soliciting expressions of interest from those interested in developing legal textbooks and/or law study materials.

Subject:

One of the goals of the Rule of Law Program is to improve the quality of legal education in Georgia by supporting academic institutions and other state and non-state actors to strengthen teaching and curricula at the university level.  One way to improve the quality of legal education is increasing availability of Georgian language legal textbooks and study materials. Today, for the most part, textbooks on most legal topics either do not exist in the Georgian language or are outdated.

In 2022, the Program funded three projects to produce textbooks on a) contract drafting; b) patient rights under the medical law; c) general human rights, which are in development and will be available in early 2024.

To ensure that more legal textbooks and teaching materials in the Georgian language are available to support student learning in their higher education studies, the USAID Rule of Law Program will fund up-to three projects to create and publish study materials and textbooks in law.

Process:

The USAID Rule of Law program invites eligible individuals and institutions interested in developing Georgian language study materials or textbooks in subject areas such as human rights, (e.g., freedom of expression, rights of the child, right to a fair trial, people-centered justice, or environmental justice)* and practical legal skills, to submit expressions of interest outlining the proposed materials.

Expressions of interest should indicate:

1. General subject area(s) to be covered
2. Purpose and scope of the book or teaching materials
3. What the book or teaching materials seek to achieve, clearly identifying its learning outcomes and the gaps in currently available Georgian-language materials that it seeks to fill
4. Skills to be addressed
5. Estimated length of book or materials
6. Estimated budget and category of the cost (e.g., author honorarium, printing costs, etc.)
7. CV(s) and background(s) of the author(s), demonstrating the capacity to implement the project
8. Proof of the cost-share (e.g., letter from another donor, university, etc.)

The documents can be submitted in English or Georgian languages.

Applicants will be selected based on the following factors:

1. Relevance of the content and topic(s) to stated needs in Georgia/programmatic priorities of the USAID Rule of Law Program (40%)
2. Extent to which essential skills/knowledge will be supported (30%)
3. Cost-effectiveness (10%)
4. Capacity to implement the project (20%)

Funding:

The maximum budget for each applicant will be $8,000, with project activities lasting from 4 to 10 months. Applicants are required to provide cost-share for the projects equal to at least 5% of the requested funding; higher contributions are welcome.

Eligibility: 

Any public or private Georgian university having a law faculty, as well as educational institutions legally registered as non-commercial legal entities or physical person(s) affiliated with at least one of Georgian universities, may apply.

Timeline:

Announcement: October 30, 2023

Deadline for submission of written questions: November 6, 2023  (Georgia Standard Time) (answers will be provided on the USAID Rule of Law Program Facebook page within three working days of the deadline for submission of questions: https://www.facebook.com/USAIDRuleofLawProgram).

Deadline for submission of expressions of interest: November 24, 2023 (Georgia Standard Time). Late expressions of interest will not be considered.

Expressions of interest and written questions should be submitted to the following email address: info.rolp@ewmi.org    Subject line should indicate: EOI: Legal Textbooks